Lawyering

Course Catalog Number:
5042
Course Credits:
3
Course Type:
Lecture
Course Priority:
General Enrollment Course
Course Category:
First-Year Courses - Enrollment is limited to first-year students
Full Year Course:
No

Course Description

Lawyering is a problem-based course in which students will serve in the role of a lawyer who must address a client problem over the course of the semester. 
The course consists of three integrated components. The first introduces students to a particular line of court decisions through detailed critical reading and analysis. Based on their understanding of these court decisions, in the second component students will explore the relationship between case theory and fact investigation. Students will gain an understanding of informal and formal methods of investigating facts and relevant ethical rules. Students may develop a fact investigation plan, gather facts from both documentary and individual sources, and assess how the facts gathered bear on their client’s problem or affect their client’s potential case theories. In the third component, students will produce a written work product (e.g., a client letter) that conveys their understanding and analysis of the relevant law and facts.
Overall, this course will engage students in a range of lawyering activities, call on students to generate various types of lawyer work product, and provide students with feedback on their work product.